Brazen Rayner blasts PM as police issue 50 more Partygate fines

ANGELA Rayner attacked the Prime Minister over ‘Partygate’ fines yesterday – despite the fact that she is under investigation for allegedly breaking lockdown rules.

Scotland Yard announced the number of fines issued for illegal Whitehall gatherings had doubled to more than 100, although there were no new penalties for Boris Johnson or his wife, Carrie.

Sir Keir Starmer and Mrs Rayner, his deputy, have both pledged to resign if Durham Constabulary fines them over the force’s ‘Beergate’ investigalish into a gathering at the Durham Miners Hall on April 30 last year.

Despite the probe into her own actions, Mrs Rayner said: ‘Boris Johnson’s Downing Street has now reached a century of fixed penalty notices for their partying.

‘They have racked up the dubious distinction of receiving more fines on the Prime Minister’s watch than any other location.

‘Boris Johnson made the rules, and then broke them at recordbreaking scale. Britain deserves better.’

Mr Johnson has already acknowledged that he was fined over his birthday gathering at Downing Street in June 2020, and pledged to make any additional fines public.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Carrie Johnson were both fined over the event, when Mr Johnson was said to have been surprised with a cake.

The police investigation into a dozen gatherings continues, with no indication of when it will reach its conclusion. Senior civil servant Sue Gray will not pubtion her report into the parties until all police fines have been handed out – despite the fact Scotland Yard is unlikely to carry out any further interviews.

The force requested that the report was not published while its investigation was ongoing so as to avoid influencing evidence from interviewees.

Interviews are understood to have concluded, but the Metropolitan Police will not formally confirm that no more will take place in case new evidence is presented. Scotland Yard said yesterday: ‘As of May 12, Operation Hillman, the investigation into breaches of Covid-19 regulations in Whitehall and Downing Street, has made more than 100 referrals for fixed penalty notices.

‘These referrals have continued to be made throughout the period since our last update on April 12, and the investigation remains live.’ The Prime Minister’s spokesman confirmed that Mr Johnson had not been issued another fine.

He said: ‘You’ll know that the Prime Minister has on a number of occasions apologised and made clear that there were things we simply did not get right, and that he is sorry for how this matter has been handled. Obviously that remains the case. He will have more to say at the conclusion... and when the Sue Gray report is published.’

‘Britain deserves better’